2019 LYCOMING COLLEGE LC MAGAZINE SPRING

Lycoming College was delighted to travel with a group of alumni and friends on September 8, 2018, to the eastern shore of Seneca Lake, N.Y., where they visited several wineries for tastings. The day concluded at Fleur de Lis Brew Works where Jennifer (Schoen) Partee ’95 is a partner and media and marketing manager. The brewery opened in May 2017 after establishing a partnership between Jennifer and her husband, Craig, alongside his brother and sister-in-law, Jon Paul and Beth Partee. “The four of us elected to open a farm brewery located on a fourth generation family farm established in 1935. We are surrounded by farmland with beautiful property, and our goal is all- estate brewing where almost everything can be grown on the farm,” says Jennifer. Why did you decide to open Fleur de Lis Brew Works? My journey to craft beer started when I moved from the Finger Lakes wine country to Florida. I love the winery scene in upstate New York and enjoy many of the local varietals. Florida wines have a different flavor profile that don’t appeal to my palate. After trying several local wines and not caring for them, I took notice of microbreweries popping up around central Florida. I visited a few and began a new appreciation for beer — craft beer. Craft beer has flavor, freshness, and crispness…subtleties that aren't always discernible in other commercially available beers. During a trip to Scottsdale, Ariz., Craig and I checked out Scottsdale Brewing Company. The beer was delicious, the food amazing, the staff friendly and helpful. After a few pints, we looked around the space and thought, “yeah, we could do this!” We hatched this idea to join with Beth and Jon Paul and formed the partnership in early 2016. How did your Lycoming education prepare you for this? I graduated with my Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. The program was not easy, and it taught me that through hard work, dedication, asking questions, and finding mentors that I could make my own success. I received a solid liberal arts background that included English and writing skills. The nursing courses and practicums that included documentation and writing have helped in written communication with the brewery. Being away from home and staying on campus, taking risks, making mistakes, and growing from them while a student also is an asset to what I do today. What’s your favorite beer and why? Picking a favorite beer is like picking your favorite child, right? Lately I’ve been enjoying our Seneca Falls Sunset, a raspberry cream ale. It's light and crisp with a bit of sweetness from the raspberries — totally crushable. It pours with a hint of pink thanks to the raspberries, and the hue reminds me of Seneca Falls sunsets looking out to the west of the brewery. Yum! ALUMNA BREWS UP A BUSINESS (L to R) Jon Paul, Beth, Jennifer, and Craig (Jon Andreas Photography) Warriors at the Wineries Seneca Falls, N.Y. Lyco Locals Happy Hour at The Brickyard Williamsport, Pa. https://fleurdelisbrewworks.com Emily (Mixell) Oropollo ’13, Jackie (Olivia) ’13 and Casey ’15 Strus Jordan Hollander ’10 and family Jack ’84 and Leslie Morrone, Tim ’79 and Mary Van Syckle 37 www.lycoming.edu